In the Guardian today, the above and:
So it is official, as if that makes a difference. After a 15-month review by the new chief executive, the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, has revealed that HS2 will now cost up to £102.7bn and trains may not start until 2039. Alexander called the original design a “massively over-specced folly” and called the increase in time and costs “obscene”. Indeed it possibly ranks as the wildest white elephant in British history. In comparison, Donald Trump’s White House ballroom is a garden shed, and Dubai’s Burj Khalifa a mere sandcastle.
What is the current plan?
Was Scotland ever in the plans? See this from BBC Scotland in in October 2023:
Scotland has long-known it was not part of the HS2 plans but Rishi Sunak’s announcement that he is to scrap the line from Birmingham to Manchester will still have an impact north of the border.
Really? See this from BBC Scotland in December 2009:
Birmingham: 45mins, down from 1h 22mins
Liverpool: 1hr 23mins, down from 2hrs 8mins
Manchester: 1hr 6mins, down from 2hrs 7mins
Edinburgh: 2hrs 9mins, down from 4hrs 23mins
Glasgow: 2hrs 16mins, down from 4hrs 10 mins
Source: Network Rail http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8432051.stm
Back to the savings, regardless, HS2 is a ‘reserved’ UK Treasury-funded project. So Scottish taxpayers will pay 8% of £103bn, £824m. If it’s cancelled, we should save that somehow.
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The time saved for London – Birmingham, while welcome, is not all that great in actual minutes, whereas the time savings for Glasgow or Edinburgh ARE significant and makes these services more attractive than flying or driving between the cities.
However, not only is the service not going much beyond Birmingham, but speeds are not going to be as fast as the hype.
Since so much is now in place between Birmingham and London, it is probably better to complete that and redirect the other costs to improving basic services in the North of England, extending the Borders Railway to Carlisle, and establish north/south rail connections in Wales. The use of the share for the north of Ireland can be discussed with the Irish Republic who provide services for the whole island.
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8% of £103bn is not £824m.
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